Semiconductor devices such as transistors and diodes are used in circuits such as switching power supply circuits and inverter circuits. These semiconductor devices are required to have a high breakdown voltage and a low on-resistance. There is a trade-off relationship determined by the element material in the relationship between the breakdown voltage and the on-resistance.
Due to advances in technology development, the low on-resistance has been implemented for semiconductor devices up to near the limit of silicon being the major semiconductor material. In order to further improve the breakdown voltage or further reduce the on-resistance, it is necessary to change the semiconductor material. By using a nitride semiconductor such as gallium nitride or aluminum gallium nitride as a semiconductor material of a semiconductor device, the trade-off relationship determined by the semiconductor material can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to drastically increase the breakdown voltage and reduce the on-resistance of the semiconductor devices.
However, in a transistor having a metal insulator semiconductor (MIS) structure using a nitride semiconductor, there is a problem that the threshold voltage fluctuates due to charges contained in a gate insulating layer.